Cubs offseason chit chat...

[Backtobanks]

12 hours ago, CubinNY said:

Jed + rebuilt the minor leagues and development team, draft team is better, 86ing Ross

Jed - rigidity in signing FA, record at ML level, 

I think they have ownership that is taking profit after investing in Wrigley and dealing with COVID. I think ownership found their man to run the organization like they want it ran with their philosophy for sustainability. I don’t know that Jed is up to that task. The next few years will tell us. 

The new motto is "wait until next year (or maybe the year after)."  I know that we have a good minor league system, but every year we don't win the division gives the Cardinals time to reload, gives the Reds youth movement time to develop, etc. This is/was the year to take the division by storm because the right players are/were available to make us the dominant team.

[squally1313]

2 hours ago, Backtobanks said:

The new motto is "wait until next year (or maybe the year after)."  I know that we have a good minor league system, but every year we don't win the division gives the Cardinals time to reload, gives the Reds youth movement time to develop, etc. This is/was the year to take the division by storm because the right players are/were available to make us the dominant team.

What did you realistically want to happen this offseason? Not being snarky, just curious what kind of path would have gotten us to 'dominant' (projected for 90 wins?).

[Tim]

27 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

What did you realistically want to happen this offseason? Not being snarky, just curious what kind of path would have gotten us to 'dominant' (projected for 90 wins?).

Ohtani + Bellinger + Yamamoto + Soto would have been nice. 😃

[Rcal10]

35 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

What did you realistically want to happen this offseason? Not being snarky, just curious what kind of path would have gotten us to 'dominant' (projected for 90 wins?).

They could use some of the minor league talent to trade for major league talent. What are they holding onto all of these guys for? Some promise of a great team in 2027? I understand where they are with free agents. It is frustrating, but I get it. They have to wait it out. But they have a surplus of very good, not great, minor league talent. Use some of it, and you still have a solid minor league system, and build a winner now. 

[Brian707]

10 hours ago, Stratos said:

Wonder what the plan B would be to spend the rest of that money this year if they can't get any of the Boras 4.

Invest in super PACs

[LBiittner]

23 minutes ago, Tim said:

Ohtani + Bellinger + Yamamoto + Soto would have been nice. 😃

Don't forget Glasnow for cheap and Bieber for leftovers 

[CubinNY]

33 minutes ago, Tim said:

Ohtani + Bellinger + Yamamoto + Soto would have been nice. 😃

For me, Yamamoto was target 1-2-and 3. I could be Jed for the rest of the field. I do think the guy they got can be pretty good if he can minimize HRsz

[LBiittner]

Brennen Davis, Brennen Davis, Brennen Davis. Oh, you were the next great Hope 

Joe Adell, Joe Adell, Joe Adell, you were the next great Thang. 

PCA, PCA, PCA, you are ???

[Ding Dong Johnson]

6 minutes ago, LBiittner said:

Brennen Davis, Brennen Davis, Brennen Davis. Oh, you were the next great Hope 

Joe Adell, Joe Adell, Joe Adell, you were the next great Thang. 

PCA, PCA, PCA, you are ???

What a weird post

[LBiittner]

Hahaha thanks. My American version of the haiku

[Bull]

1 hour ago, Ding Dong Johnson said:

What a weird post

Patterson

Pie.

 

I'm not counting on PCA to be anything. 

Also, he's a nincompoop.

[Backtobanks]

2 hours ago, squally1313 said:

What did you realistically want to happen this offseason? Not being snarky, just curious what kind of path would have gotten us to 'dominant' (projected for 90 wins?).

Bieber + Naylor for Wesneski + Widom + Mervis.

Kim for Wicks + Madrigal

Sign Bellinger

other trade possibilities include Josh Bell (negative trade value), Scott, and either Meyer or Cabrera from the Marlins

J. D. Davis, Jansen (negative trade value).

Of course, if you want to throw Morel's (or PCA') name out there, we can get to the next level of players like Luzardo, Clase, Paredes, etc.

[Rob]

PCA was 21 years old last year when he made his debut in MLB. He showed a serious hole in his game, striking out way too much.

But I've posted two stat lines above from key contributors to the 2016 World Series run. Both of these guys made their debuts at age 21 and had some problems adjusting to big league pitching.

Not every prospect is Kris Bryant and comes out looking like an MVP candidate. And as much as we'd like to see the Ricketts family open their pocketbooks, it's unrealistic to expect them to pay for established all-star caliber players to fill in every position where we don't have a Kris Bryant.

If the Cubs are going to have any significant long-term success, we need to give guys like PCA a chance to adjust. Just like

Spoiler

Javier Baez

and

Spoiler

Anthony Rizzo

[Transmogrified Tiger]

24 minutes ago, Backtobanks said:

Bieber + Naylor for Wesneski + Widom + Mervis.

Kim for Wicks + Madrigal

Sign Bellinger

other trade possibilities include Josh Bell (negative trade value), Scott, and either Meyer or Cabrera from the Marlins

J. D. Davis, Jansen (negative trade value).

Of course, if you want to throw Morel's (or PCA') name out there, we can get to the next level of players like Luzardo, Clase, Paredes, etc.

Your solution appears to be to make trades that opposing GMs would have zero interest in, with a backup plan of trading for players who may or may not be available, or only available for a very different price than you're implying.

[squally1313]

2 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

They could use some of the minor league talent to trade for major league talent. What are they holding onto all of these guys for? Some promise of a great team in 2027? I understand where they are with free agents. It is frustrating, but I get it. They have to wait it out. But they have a surplus of very good, not great, minor league talent. Use some of it, and you still have a solid minor league system, and build a winner now. 

The Cubs have 7 dudes on the top 100 list per MLB (PCA, Horton, Caissie, Busch, Shaw, Alcantara, Triantos). All of their ETAs are either 2024 and 2025. 

[squally1313]

6 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Your solution appears to be to make trades that opposing GMs would have zero interest in, with a backup plan of trading for players who may or may not be available, or only available for a very different price than you're implying.

Wait are you saying the Guardians don't want to give up their ace for the chance at a 7th starter, a backup to Jose Ramirez, and Matt Mervis

[We Got The Whole 9]

Your proposals are ridiculous. Stop living on BBTV. 

[squally1313]

38 minutes ago, Backtobanks said:

Bieber + Naylor for Wesneski + Widom + Mervis.

Kim for Wicks + Madrigal

Sign Bellinger

other trade possibilities include Josh Bell (negative trade value), Scott, and either Meyer or Cabrera from the Marlins

J. D. Davis, Jansen (negative trade value).

Of course, if you want to throw Morel's (or PCA') name out there, we can get to the next level of players like Luzardo, Clase, Paredes, etc.

If you swap out PCA for Bellinger, Kim for Madrigal/Wisdom, Busch for Naylor, and Bieber for Wicks and Wesneski, congrats, you've added 2.3 projected fWAR to the roster, we can round up to 3 for backups even though you just traded the infield ones away. Guardians players add $20m to the payroll and Bieber is a FA after this year, Bellinger is another $25m, Kim is another $8m. That reduces the likelihood of an Imanaga signing by quite a bit, and taking away his 3.2 fWAR you.....basically end up right back where you started. But, hey, let's give you Imanaga too. Why not. In your 'create the ideal offseason', using trades no other GM would agree to, you created an 84 win team. 

[LBiittner]

I wonder how many wins the Dbacks had in 2023?

[Stratos]

1 hour ago, Bull said:

Patterson

Pie.

 

I'm not counting on PCA to be anything. 

Also, he's a nincompoop.

Haven't thought of the name Felix Pie in a long time.

Some serious red flags on the offensive side for PCA.  But I guess we'll see.

[squally1313]

27 minutes ago, LBiittner said:

I wonder how many wins the Dbacks had in 2023?

Much different goal posts if you want to try and be a consistent 84 win team. We're one of the Boras guys away from that. 

[LBiittner]

2 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

Much different goal posts if you want to try and be a consistent 84 win team. We're one of the Boras guys away from that. 

Quite frankly, I'm over the Boris 4.

I'm prepared to be disappointed cheering on a noncontender in a winable  crappy division. I'll begin to stomp for Smyly in the rotation and ask Sweet Baby Jesus to give us Tommy Pham.

There's nothing wrong with being the Pittsburgh of the Midwest. Looking up at the disgusting underbelly of the muddy Mississippian St Louie yardbirds

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, squally1313 said:

The Cubs have 7 dudes on the top 100 list per MLB (PCA, Horton, Caissie, Busch, Shaw, Alcantara, Triantos). All of their ETAs are either 2024 and 2025. 

So a possible great team in 2027. Usually guys don’t come up and are great their first year. And if they do have 7 top 100 guys that is all the more reason to use some minor league talent to get major league talent now. 

[Bertz]

Cubs fans on Tuesday: "Why can't we have a Bobby Witt Jr.?"

Cubs fans on Friday: "Our 21 year old all-world defensive CF wasn't a finished product offensively.  He's trash and we're better off trading him!"

[Backtobanks]

1 hour ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Your solution appears to be to make trades that opposing GMs would have zero interest in, with a backup plan of trading for players who may or may not be available, or only available for a very different price than you're implying.

I used names that supposedly were available according to all of the rumors that have been reported.  As for other GMs not having any interest, we'll never know because Jed apparently doesn't have any interest in making trades.  As for a "very different price", some of these teams (Marlins, Guardians, etc.,) are trying to dump salary.  Finally, if we had to overpay a little to get a team that is 90+ wins, I wouldn't hesitate for a minute instead of being stuck in being "fiscally responsible" and hoarding prospects until they're worthless.